A Guide to Cherokee Street, St. Louis’ Quirkiest Shopping District

City Mouse Vintage
2618 Cherokee Street
Sister duo Abbie Belliston and Casey Miller sift through estate sales so you don’t have to. Their storefront, City Mouse Vintage, opened near a cluster of other vintage stores in September. What sets this place apart is its admitted “silliness.” Want a vintage bowling shirt with someone else’s name stitched on the front? Or a 1980s-era windbreaker that’s so colorful and bright it could probably be spotted from space? If so, this is the place for you.

Butter Love Skin
2608 Cherokee Street
La’Crassia Wilderness has been in business for nine years but it wasn’t until June that she opened a storefront for Butter Love. The skincare business has a retail space in front and Wilderness’ workspace in the back, which gives the whole place a wonderful ambrosial smell. Up front you’ll find body oils, clay masks, lip balms and more, as well as Wilderness’ goldendoodle, Lulu.

Dead Wax Records
2100 Cherokee Street, 314-330-2618
Music is alive at Dead Wax. Whether you’re a vinyl newbie or a long-time collector, you’ll find what you need here — and then some. The record store frequently hosts live performances. So what you may think would be a quick dip inside to search for your next spin may turn into a half-day excursion.

Hammond’s Books
1939 Cherokee Street, 314-323-6389
There’s a lot to discover in the two floors of Hammond’s Books. Most of the inventory consists of used books that can go from $10 to more than $100 depending on how rare they are. But Hammond’s also sells costume jewelry, old pocket watches, vintage posters and illustrations torn from old books.

Your Friend’s Apartment
2617 Cherokee Street
Everyone has that one stylish friend who has an immaculate closet and an equally excellent apartment. It probably looks like Your Friend’s Apartment (the store) on Cherokee. Walking into this place feels like a warm hug. Sunlight from southern-facing windows drapes over modern furniture arranged as it would be in someone’s real living space. On tables are shoes, purses, books and candles for sale. But what makes this place worth the trip are the clothes racks full of finely curated vintage items. This isn’t the type of vintage clothing store that sells grandma sweaters or purple parachute pants. Everything here culminates into a simple yet elegant style. Think Midwest boho chic. If that’s a thing.

STL Virtuoso Collective
2616 Cherokee Street

Last year, South Side Spaces announced it would give free rent for six months to one lucky tenant in the former Rent One building. Jessie Mees and Julianne Wise were the lucky winners. And now we’re all lucky for it. Mees’ and Wise’s business, STL Virtuoso Collective, sells the work of local artists who live around Cherokee Street. Virtuoso keeps just a small piece (10 percent) of sales to keep the gallery/shop going. Different artists man Virtuoso on a volunteer basis, so you may get to meet the creator of whatever piece you buy. Inventory generally includes ceramics, prints, jewelry, paintings and some furniture. Don’t skip on the tiny jars of hot sauce spread throughout the place — they’re fire (in all meanings of term).

Retro 101/Cherry Bomb Vintage
2303 Cherokee Street, 314-769-9722
This is the platonic ideal of a vintage clothing store. There’s a pleasant mix of wacky and practical with a wide range of sizes. And unlike several other boutiques on Cherokee, Retro 101/Cherry Bomb Vintage doesn’t just keep it to the weekends. They’re open five days a week.

Hop Shop
2600 Cherokee Street, 314-261-4011
Justin Harris and Ryan Griffin opened Hop Shop in 2015 and it became a go-to destination for craft brews. The shop boasts an expansive selection of ciders, lagers, ales, IPAs, stouts and more, but it’s not just a beer destination. Hop Shop is a community gathering space. During warmer months, customers take their beer of choice, which you can buy by the can, and sit at picnic tables outside. Tables and bar seating reside in Hop Shop’s large corner space at Cherokee and Jefferson streets as well.

13th and Canna
2731 Cherokee Street, 13thandcanna.com
Besties Sherrell Hall and Tameca Burnett opened a storefront for their e-commerce candle brand, 13th and Canna, in July. It was just in time. People are buying more weed than ever in Missouri, and those who want to keep the dankness to a minimum should head to 13th and Canna. The small store at the corner of Cherokee and Iowa streets sells odor-eliminating candles that don’t just mask smoke smells but neutralizes them.

Profield Reserve
2309 Cherokee Street, 314-669-9003
This homegrown apparel brand sells durable athletic and leisure wear that are made in-house in small batches. St. Louis doesn’t have many apparel brands, but this one reps us well.

Carrillo Western Wear
2614 Cherokee Street, 314-865-4850
You know how some people debate whether Missouri is part of the South? When you walk into Carrillo Western Wear, you’ll feel like you walked into a cowboy supplies store way out West. Cowboy hats, leather boots and Western shirts cover the walls and pack the sales floor. The place smells like leather and sounds like Latin music, which plays throughout the store.

Riverside Antiques
1947 Cherokee Street, 314-772-9177
Riverside Antiques caters to a very specific type of St. Louisan — the type nutty enough to buy one of the city’s neglected century-plus old houses and fix it up themselves. Antique doors, vents, lightswitch covers, stained glass windows and rosette and plinth blocks abound. Most have had several decades’ worth of paint removed and are ready for use.

The Bricoleur
3400 Cherokee Street, 314-833-3002
After a long walk down Cherokee Street, all the antique stores can start to feel the same. Not the Bricoleur. Everything here is highly curated. The shelves are meticulously arranged. If you look close enough, you’ll find little details throughout the store such as notes written on tags (in a basket of vintage noisemakers: “be obnoxious”) and words spelled out in Boggle letters. The place is also an analog photography lover’s dream, with an endless supply of vintage lens and film cameras. To top it off, Bricoleur prices are lower compared to most other antique stores despite having many of the same items and more. Vintage Polaroid cameras, for example, cost between $20 to $30. Co-owner David Montgomery will even test them for you. The shop is one of the last stops when traveling west down Cherokee and it’s truly a delightful end.

Sheppard Studios
2306 Cherokee Street
The mind of artist Mark Sheppard is one where a skeleton can ride a horse with his pet opossum. That vision leads to the whimsical art available at Sheppard’s gallery/store. Anything from prints and paintings to shirts and stickers all bear Sheppard’s work, most of which was created in Sheppard’s studio space just a floor below.

So Jeff Retro
2623 Cherokee Street, 314-443-1888

You won’t find any Carole House-type tables or discarded IKEA chairs here. So Jeff Retro has anything from sleek mid-century modern tables and floral 1970s armchairs to contemporary furnishings. It may be a good idea to peruse So Jeff Retro’s Instagram before a visit. The store has amassed a large following on the platform and posts the prizes of its inventory multiple times a day.

Flowers and Weeds
3201 Cherokee Street, 314-776-2887
Most of what you need to know about Flowers and Weeds is in its name. But what the name doesn’t get at is the sense of wonder people feel when they go there. Inside is a welcoming plant oasis full of both house plant staples and rarer varieties you’d have a hard time finding elsewhere. There’s a tropical plant greenhouse, seasonal garden center and cooler for bouquets and fresh cut flowers.

Assassin Vintage
3156 Cherokee Street, 314-833-5007
On any given day, Assassin Vintage co-owners Tammy Heet and Kay Miller will welcome you into the store with a warm smile and quick hello. They’re also around to give details on any item in their inventory — which is all killer and no filler. It’s like they raided Aubrey Hepburn’s closet.

Teatopia
2606 Cherokee Street, (314) 553-9402
You may know Teatopia for its smoothies and small plates, but the tearoom is also a destination for tea wares and loose leaf tea you can take home to make your own brews. There are over 50 varieties of loose leaf teas on Teatopia’s website that you can pick up in store or get shipped to you.

Elder’s Antiques
2124 Cherokee Street, 314-772-1436
You can spend an hour inside Elder’s Antiques and maybe see a quarter of everything in the store. The two-story antique stop is a maze of booths containing anything from vintage art and furniture to whimsical nicknacks and curios.

Midwest Pasta Co.
2023 Cherokee Street, 314-772-7560
That pasta you love to eat at local restaurants? It may come from Midwest Pasta Co. The artisan pasta supplier sells fresh and frozen noodles to local restaurants in addition to walk-in patrons at its storefront on Cherokee. At the storefront, you could buy fixings for a great pasta dinner and spend far less than what the same would cost at a restaurant.